If you care about Sonic Boom‘s potential long-term success, then you can’t help but be concerned at how much sales have dropped off for the last major Sonic title, Sonic Lost World.

Though the game logged a respectable 640,000 units shipped across Wii U and 3DS during the Holiday season, earnings released by Sega today indicate only an additional 70,000 units sold to retailers in the three months following, from January 1st to March 31st. We should note this is a retailer shipment, meaning they bought it, and not necessarily the consumer. Earlier data has indicated the sell-through rate is not stellar. Though there is no hard data to back it up, some analysts have indicated the majority of recent sales have occurred on the Nintendo 3DS. Given the state of the Wii U, that’s not awful, but considering Sega and Nintendo’s efforts to beef up the title with Yoshi’s Island and Legend of Zelda themed DLC, it’s not great.

Despite Sega’s flagship property flailing some on Nintendo consoles, Sega Sammy as a whole beat its FY2014 earnings guidance in their full release. We’ll detail that shortly.

66 Comments

Honestly, you can’t say we should be concerned about Boom, it’s going to be an entirely different thing from the Mario game that is SLW…

RaceProUK

Posted May 9, 2014 at 12:48 PM

I think the concern is less game quality and more Sega’s ability to sustain sales momentum.

Dolphina16

Posted May 9, 2014 at 1:51 PM

True.

Um, I’ve played the 3DS version, mind you. I love the game, its just a little bit too much of a rip-off. I never said the GAMEPLAY was Mario, the layout and world choice is.

MrSonicfan253

Posted May 9, 2014 at 1:34 PM

Okay, Sonic Lost World is nothing like Mario. If you actually played it, you would know that. I’m not saying the game isn’t mediocre, but it certainly doesn’t play anything like Mario at all.

Jmack

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:28 PM

There are strikingly similar themes between SLW and recent Mario games. That’s what turned me away from the game from the jump. I rented it and was not remotely impressed.

RaceProUK

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:38 PM

Some of the music has some what of a Mario feel in parts too.

MrSonicfan253

Posted May 9, 2014 at 4:34 PM

“the levels have the same theme so the game sucks”

Dolphina16

Posted May 9, 2014 at 6:40 PM

I never said that, MrSonicfan. Like I said, I like the game. But Sonic is praised for SPEED, which SLW doesn’t really give me the “speedy” feeling, and its differentiating levels. If they start going “GREEN WORLD ICE WORLD LAVA WORLD” on me, then you can kiss my purchases goodbye. Where’s the variety? There’s a reason I buy Sonic games and leave Mario to the kiddies.

RaceProUK

Posted May 9, 2014 at 7:00 PM

Angel Island
Ice Cap
Lava Reef

Jmack

Posted May 11, 2014 at 2:50 AM

@MrSonicfan253
I didn’t say it was a bad game, it’s not. It IS however a bad “Sonic” game and that’s the point I’m trying to make. Even still on its own merit…it’s solid but at the same time it’s just mediocre and bland. It’s not just the level themes that borrow from Mario, it’s the presentation, music, the bosses, almost everything dude! the devs themselves even said they were trying to appeal to Mario fans and it’s apparent. Then they made the biggest mistake by slowing him down substantially, this has to be one of the slowest Sonic games ever made! All of that is counterproductive to what Sonic is.

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:12 PM

It’s because of Wii U. That console is sinking, SEGA! Sonic Boom will also sell bad on Wii U, so please make it multiplatform!

RaceProUK

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:21 PM

I wouldn’t say sinking; 6 million worldwide isn’t all that bad. By the same token though, it’s not soaring in the stratosphere either.

ChaoticFox

Posted May 11, 2014 at 11:20 AM

until you realize that it’s the games that make the console, and 6 million copies sold means that even if every single wii u owner buys a game (which is pretty unlikely for ANYTHING), then that game has a MAXIMUM sales potential of 6 million units.

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:21 PM

I have some inside information: Sega will port Sonic Lost World to your precious Xbox One if you post a whiny comment within 45 seconds of the next Nintendo article being published. If you’re even one second later, Sega will officially stop any and all porting projects for Wii U-exclusive titles to other platforms.

Are you up to it?

Nick

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:24 PM

Dude, I’ve just about had it with you. THE WII U IS NOT SINKING!!!! DOES SIX MILLION WORLWIDE SOUND LIKE SINKING?! Why do you feel the need to rip on the Wii U at EVERY F[expletive deleted]ING CHANCE YOU GET?! I bought a Wii U when it came out, and I’m proud of my decision!! It just needs a little more time to find its footing!! I mean, look at the 3DS when it launched!! It wasn’t exactly stellar at launch, either!!

So do us all a favor and SHUT THE F[expletive deleted]K UP!!! I’m seriously sick of having to listen to your nonsense every time!!

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:34 PM

It’s pretty obvious that he’s just mad that he doesn’t have a Wii U, so he can’t play exclusive games.

Note that on the 3DS articles, he makes posts like “Good for Sega, 3DS needs as many good games as it gets”, which is implying that 3DS is also sinking and hence needs good games in order to be relevant. The reason why he uses different wording, of course, is because he has a 3DS, but not a Wii U.

That, and you can’t simultaneously claim that Sonic Lost World isn’t selling solely because it’s a shitty game and solely because it’s on Wii U at the same time. It has to be one or the other. Making a shitty game multi-platform won’t help sales.

@Gerbilsoft
You have to understand that 3DS is doing much better than Wii U. 40 million 3DS vs 6 million Wii U! The difference is amazing.

And you are speaking untruth! I say game should be ported to ALL platforms, NOT just Xbox One. So it can sell good!

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 2:56 PM

You claim to say that you want games ported to “all platforms”. But we all know damn well that the minute there’s an exclusive title for a platform you have (whether it’s 3DS or “PC” or Xbox One), you’re suddenly silent on the exclusivity front.

Did you whine this much when Sonic Free Riders was announced as an Xbox 360 Kinect exclusive?

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:04 PM

Xbox 360 has over 80 million in sales so it’s doing better than Wii U, and I got one for free because I work for Microsoft Support.

Why won’t you understand that Wii U is a sinking ship! When Nintendo fails Sonic Lost World will go with it!

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:12 PM

You are mistaken. I don’t have Xbox One because there are no SEGA games for it. But if SEGA made exclusive game for Xbox One I wouldn’t be happy because it isn’t doing that good either, so the game would probably fail also.

3DS and PC are both selling well so it’s acceptable to make exclusive on them, but not preferred.

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:14 PM

So, let’s see:
– You have an Xbox 360 because you work at MS (?!)
– You only think exclusives are okay if they’re on “popular platforms”.

Ergo, you are the textbook definition of a sheep. You only like something if it’s popular.

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:18 PM

@GerbilSoft
That is another Sigma who works on MS support. I don’t.

I think exclusives are OK if they are on successful platforms, because otherwise SEGA won’t be able to profit.

And I like SEGA games the most! So it’s good if SEGA games are successful because then they can make more games!

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:21 PM

That’s perfectly fine if you like SEGA.

But it’s really fucking annoying when you shit all over threads because it involves a platform you don’t like. It makes you look like a whiny fanboy.

And that whole “I want Sega to have more sales and be more successful!” schtick reeks of a corporate shill trying to boost stock prices.

I’m done here. If you want to keep making yourself look like an ass, go ahead. Just don’t be surprised when you end up with unexpected consequences.

[missed the correct reply button]

SEGA Sonic

Posted May 9, 2014 at 8:48 PM

Actually, 6 million units isn’t impressive in the slightest. Sure, as consumers it sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t.

First off, its taken the Wii U a year and 5-6 months to reach 6+ million. The Xbox One is nearing/is at 5 million and the Playstation 4 is at 7 million, both only in 5-6 months. Nintendo lost $240 million dollars because the Wii U and 3DS didn’t sell up to par. Which brings me to my next point: Nintendo had to lower their expectations from 9 million units sold to 2.8 million units. And even then, they failed to reach 2.8 million.

Just to be clear, I’m not a Nintendo hater (i know people love to pull that card whenever anybody says anything bad about Nintendo or the Wii U).

Jordan

Posted May 9, 2014 at 4:46 PM

Sonic games generally sell much better on Nintendo consoles – making the game multiplatform would just add to Sega’s costs while gaining them very little. Sonic Lost World didn’t sell poorly because it was on the Wii U – it sold poorly because it was an average game. I enjoyed the game, and I’m willing to admit that it wasn’t up to the standard that Sonic Colours and Sonic Generations set.

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 5:06 PM

But Nintendo console generally don’t sell as bad as Wii U. If the game was multiplatform it would sell much better. All-Stars Racing Transformed did the best on Steam which this game wasn’t even on.

Jordan

Posted May 9, 2014 at 5:13 PM

Steam frequently has sales where the price of the game goes down to $15 or less – that’s hardly comparable.

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 5:16 PM

But there’s no packaging costs and the distribution costs are lower so it compensates for the lower price.

The “Sonic sells best on Nintendo” card gets pulled up a lot. There’s no doubt Sonic games on Nintendo have healthy sales figures, but that’s no reason to eliminate Sonic fans on Xbox, Playstation, or PC. Sonic Generations sold 2+ million of X360 and PS3, and that’s not even including the sales figures for the PC version (don’t think there has ever been an official number released of the PC version). Simply because Sonic Colors, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, or whatever Sonic game on Nintendo managed to sell 2 million on their own, doesn’t mean fans on other consoles shouldn’t be considered.

And yes, the Wii U having low sales also has to do with Sonic Lost World not selling well. You can’t expect big numbers for a game if the number of consoles sold isn’t high either. (unless it’s a Nintendo property)

MM2

Posted May 9, 2014 at 5:22 PM

Sigma please. You literally are the worst.

Stolken

Posted May 9, 2014 at 10:28 PM

Ironic coming from you.

Raw

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:17 PM

Low Critics Scores + Mario Ripoff Appearance + Wii U Low Sales

Considering these factors the game is doing better than I espected but still bad, nevertheless Sonic Boom could surpass these hurdles, even the Wii U low sales since the game will likely be released on a brighter future for the Wii U (after Mario Kart 8 and around the same date as Smash Bros.).

Still I wished Sonic Boom was multi platform but I hope the best of luck to it.

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:21 PM

That’s perfectly fine if you like SEGA.

But it’s really fucking annoying when you shit all over threads because it involves a platform you don’t like. It makes you look like a whiny fanboy.

And that whole “I want Sega to have more sales and be more successful!” schtick reeks of a corporate shill trying to boost stock prices.

I’m done here. If you want to keep making yourself look like an ass, go ahead. Just don’t be surprised when you end up with unexpected consequences.

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:26 PM

I don’t care about stocks, just SEGA games. Remember Shenmue? That series failed because it sold poorly. It sold poorly because it was on commercially poor platforms. Because it sold poorly we didn’t get conclusion to series. Just one example.

That is why it is important that SEGA releases games on successful platforms so they can sell good. Because SEGA fans have suffered a lot with ended series like Shenmue because they didn’t sell good.

I hope you understand.

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:31 PM

Okay, one last word, since you brought up Shenmue. It didn’t fail because it sold poorly; it sold because it was a terrible game, *and* they spent way too much to produce it. (Development costs were over $70M.)

And since you seem to think that being on a “sinking” platform is what killed it: The US version of Shenmue II was on Xbox. The original Xbox was successful in the US, yet it didn’t save the series at all.

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:32 PM

s/it sold because/it failed because/

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:36 PM

Shenmue is amazing but it was only one example. Xbox sold pretty poor, only 25 million. If Shenmue was on PS2, GC and PC along wit Xbox and DC it would sell much better and Shenmue 3 would be made.

That is why multiplatform is good.

GerbilSoft

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:39 PM

That’s cute that you actually believe that. It’s fairly obvious that you have no idea how business works. How old are you anyway, 12?

Right, I said I was done here, and now I am.

Sigma

Posted May 9, 2014 at 3:52 PM

Shenmue 2 was released in 2002/2003 for Xbox. Xbox install base at time was less than 10 million. PS2 install base was over 30 million! Potentially 3x as much sales if it was on PS2.

But SEGA made same mistaken as they did now. They made exclusivity deal with MS which killed Shenmue. Now they made exclusivity deal with Nintendo and it will kill Sonic this time.

Shadow the Hedgehog has something to say regarding this title’s low sales:

“See you next game!”

SSF

Posted May 10, 2014 at 1:08 AM

710,000 copies isn’t bad at all. Sonic games generally sell, on average, around 1-2 million. Whether you like the game or not one thing is for sure, it is certainly not a sales flop. I’m not surprised the sales have eased up in the past few months considering promotion of the game has dropped significantly with the exception of the occasional free DLC level but even that was minimal. Which is also understandable considering, well, the game was released and Sega always ceases a lot of promotion after a game does so.

I’m more curious to see how Sonic Boom will fare. It’s following in the heels of Mario Kart 8 and Smash Brothers 4 and will have a potentially larger crowd to sell games than Lost World had. I feel like that will give me a better idea as to how Sonic is faring on Wii U as a whole. Until then there’s still some room for speculation.

Tristan made an error, and on his own website at that. It has SHIPPED 600k, but it hasn’t sold that many.

SSF

Posted May 10, 2014 at 3:14 PM

Shipped copies aren’t bad either. I believe Colors and Generations’ articles were made up of mostly copies that were shipped anyway. So the same still applies.

DaveDynamite

Posted May 10, 2014 at 6:53 PM

I don’t care what anyone says anwmymore this is my opinion because I bought it day one and didn’t like it at first and when I by the time I was half way through I was loving it. I enjoyed sonic lost world and is one of my favorite games on wii u and one of my favorite sonic games. My friends have tried the game out and has gotten used to the controls and loves it. Does it have some flaws? Yes, but they certainly do not out weigth the good in the game.

MM2

Posted May 12, 2014 at 1:38 PM

Yes, actually those flaws DO outweigh the good in the game. You don’t get to tell people what to say about their own judgments of the game in how big of a deal something is. If people like me think the controls, uninspired level design, gimmicky stages and lame “parkour” system don’t make it that great then deal with it: that’s what we think.

the ys guy

Posted May 10, 2014 at 7:11 PM

I bought this game digitally. Anyway I’m not surprise rhea 3ds version is winning. If you like rush you’ll likely like this game because it consistent to what sonic about.

Firstly, the console certainly isn’t shit. 6 million sold consoles isn’t something to laugh at. Not to mention it’s gained a game library that earns some kind of respect. Secondly, as I’ve said in previous comments, the quality of the game means nothing for sales or shipped copies. It could be the best game ever but that doesn’t mean it’s going to automatically sell. Anything could happen. Lastly, it’s not selling poorly. Average, yes. Poorly, no.

So the only thing you have in response is sales. I like how you ignored pretty much all the other points I had, despite the sales being only one of the arguments I had, and focused on only one thing.

I also love how you fail to mention how the Xbox One is in last place in sales anyway. And even then neither console is relevent. They have nothing to do with the Wii U. Different consoles, different games, different graphics, different everything. To say a console is bad because of what another console has done makes no sense whatsoever. It’s like saying an apple is bad because the orange has orange juice in it. So it doesn’t have orange juice in it, so what? That doesn’t mean the apple is bad. Just different.

Sega marketed the Genesis as the anti-Nintendo console in the early 90s. As being different. Yet Nintendo still sold the most consoles. Why? Because, in my opinion, it is better to make your console shine for what it is and not what the other consoles do. In other words, do your own thing. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft rarely acknowledge either other in commercials, conferences, or anything. Because they don’t need to. The focus is on their console, their games, and how they can improve on them. It’s not about having what your rivals have. It’s about making your consoles entertaining and special.

I think that’s why I get annoyed when I see games that are quite similar to each other and are blatant rip offs. Because they’re just trying to capitalize on something for money. It’s not about giving something it’s own individuality with entertainment and good quality. To me, it just smells like greed. Then again, maybe they’re just experimenting with something to see if it works. Who knows? But there’s many other things one can experiment with a video game.

Either way this is a console superiority argument all over again. And I don’t take up arms in a video gaming hardware fan war. I just play the games and have fun with them. Call me casual if you want but I don’t take sides. I just enjoy whatever fun games those sides make for gamers like me.

v

Posted May 13, 2014 at 10:11 AM

@SSF When I said Lost World is a piece of shit I meant the game has shit appeal. The Wii U isn’t bad because of what the ps4 did, the wii u is bad because it is probably the most anti-consumer product on the market. It’s overpriced, underpowered, only one gamepad can work at a time,and if your gamepad messes up, you might have to buy a new console. I brought up the ps4 just to show how irrelevant the wii u really is.

Then you bring up Genesis vs SNES, downplaying SEGA’s success, sure their shit talking didn’t win that gen, but it helped them take market share away from nintendo. At that time SEGA owned 50% of the console market which means your statement about “selling consoles for what they are” is wrong. Yeah that always works. So how is that working out for Microsoft,with their entertainment box, huh? Nobody gave them shit for that right? Sony just marketed the PS2 as a playstation witn slightly better graphics.Oh wait, no they didn’t, they hyped everyone up saying the PS2 would be capable of producing pixar graphics and that it could do million polygons per second

SSF

Posted May 13, 2014 at 12:43 PM

How does the game have bad appeal? That doesn’t make any sense. Overpriced? Really? I’d say the Xbox One is overpriced. And it forces the Kinect on you. I’m not sure if you can use a 360 Kinect if the Xbox One Kinect breaks, though. And Nintendo consoles have been underpowered since the Gamecube. But that doesn’t mean there’s no entertainment in the games. Not everything’s going to have high definition next generation graphics. Especially considering how many games still like to use pixels, sell well, and are beloved in the gaming community. In fact just about every fault the Wii U has made Microsoft has one upped them in my opinion. The Kinect-less and $100 cheaper model, again in my opinion, is probably the first good move they’ve even made with this console. Nintendo’s Wii U has had a roller coaster of good and bad moves. Microsoft’s Xbox One has just been a trainwreck and it seems they’re only just now getting back on their feet again. And yet they’re still in it just as much as Sony and Nintendo are. No console is irrelevent right now.

And how did I downplay Sega’s success? Just because I said they didn’t sell more consoles than Nintendo? They certainly dented the market but they didn’t win it. And that was the point. It was an example that you don’t win console wars by downplaying other consoles. You win them by letting your own shine. They had 50% of the market share. Okay. So did Nintendo. My argument still stands. It’s not downplaying success. It’s being realistic. Yes, you sell consoles for what they are. A game console. No making your console into things it isn’t or shouldn’t be, like Microsoft did. And your example with Sony was just Sony lying. Selling a console for what it is not. Which is the exact opposite of what I said.

But this is far from the topic at hand now anyway. As I said this has become another console war and it’s just beating a dead horse. Let’s agree to disagree and call it a day.